Explosion between Lake Wylie and Clover leaves 5-foot crater

York County deputies and the Rock Hill Police Department bomb squad are investigating an explosion Saturday night between Lake Wylie and Clover that was so powerful, it left a five-foot crater in the ground and sent a plume of smoke 75 feet into the air.

No injuries were reported, and the investigation into who set the blast, that is described in a sheriff’s report as an “incendiary bomb,” continues.

Around 6:45 p.m. Saturday, a man called sheriff’s deputies to say that an explosion on Cedar Hill Lane, not far from the state line, was so strong that his house shook. The man reported that he saw two people get out of a vehicle that had backed toward a trail that led into nearby woods, then the explosion happened.

Deputies found a shallow crater at least five feet in diameter, and the plants and ground nearby were covered with a fine pink powder, the sheriff’s report states. Deputies also found torn pieces of plastic more than 15 feet away in all directions.